Jinting Han people

At the quarter-hour of Yin (3:15 AM), just as the curfew was about to be lifted, the entire city of Luoyang remained shrouded in boundless darkness, buried by the wind and snow. This was a natural phenomenon; sunrise and sunset, the waxing and waning of the moon—ironclad laws that had existed for hundreds of millions of years. Yet, there were still some places that attempted to defy the rules of nature, shining brightly at such a quiet time: the Luoyang Palace.

As the imperial palace of the entire empire, although it had lost supreme power, it remained a supreme symbol. Therefore, even in the dead of night, lanterns were hung between the palace walls. Although the light from a single lantern was small, the reflection of countless lanterns made the light resemble a vast sea of ​​stars, enveloping the palace from top to bottom. While not enough to completely dispel the darkness, it was enough to dazzle and mesmerize.

Whenever the young queen tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, she would quietly get up, walk to the window, and gaze at the flickering fireflies outside the palace, trying to dispel her inner melancholy.

This was not surprising. Although she had been moved back to the palace from Jinyong City and was temporarily out of danger, Yang Xianrong had not gotten what she wanted. In her eyes, she had merely been moved from a smaller prison to a larger one, and the jailers had become a little nicer, no longer making her do laundry, tend the fire, pound rice, or cook—that was all.

It could even be said that while in Jinyong City, she could use these chores to escape her distractions and prevent herself from daydreaming. But back in this vast palace, the idleness of her days only made the young empress feel more empty, and also more sensitive and perceptive.

The night was the same; the north wind was cold. After dinner, she played a game of chess with her maid for a while, but soon grew tired and went to bed early. However, when she woke up and heard her husband snoring beside her, she couldn't fall back asleep.

So she got up, put on a light blue silk dress, simply tied her hair up, and took a candle to the corridor to enjoy the view. She drew back the gauze curtains and opened the window. A gust of cold wind rushed in, echoing loudly in the corridor, and the gauze curtains danced in the wind. As the coolness touched her forehead, Yang Xianrong realized that snowflakes were falling in the air.

She stretched out her hand and watched a snowflake drift into her palm, instantly turning into a drop of dew, which made her suddenly giggle.

Just then, a palace maid on night patrol heard a strange noise. She saw the Empress and quickly walked over to Empress Xianrong, advising her, "Your Highness, it's so cold outside. Why come out? Don't catch a cold!"

This was a palace maid of similar age to Yang Xianrong, named Liu He. During these empty days, the palace maids kept her company, so after a year and a half, Yang Xianrong became very familiar with them.

The Empress glanced at Liu He listlessly, then turned back to lean against the windowsill and said quietly, "It would be better if he were sick, so I wouldn't have to think about it all day."

"How can you say that? You are the Empress!" Liu He said in surprise.

"Am I really the empress? I don't feel like I am."

"If you are not, then who is?"

"Is there any empress like me?!" Xianrong recalled her daydreams as a young woman awaiting marriage and suddenly felt a surge of anger. Facing the palace maids she spent every day with, she couldn't help but complain:

"Ah He, I ask you, are you willing to serve His Majesty?"

"Huh?" Liu He looked surprised, clearly having never considered this question before. She also wondered if she had misheard and asked, "What does Your Highness mean?"

"I'm asking you, do you like His Majesty? Do you want to compete with me for his favor?" Yang Xianrong stared wide-eyed at her, pressing her for an answer.

Liu He was somewhat amused and exasperated. She quickly said, "Your Highness is the Empress, while I am of humble birth and merely an ordinary palace maid. How could I possibly compete with Your Highness for favor?"

Unexpectedly, Xianrong said softly, "Yes, Ahe, even though you are of humble birth, you still look down on His Majesty. Everyone says that a wife should follow her husband's lead and that a wife's status should be based on her husband's, but the man I married is nominally the emperor, yet there isn't even one person who wants to compete with me for him..."

Liu He couldn't help but doubt his ears. It turned out that the young empress before him was complaining about her husband, belittling him to the point of being worthless, which in turn made her feel worthless as well.

Women are such strange creatures. They often crave rare and precious things, but their enthusiasm isn't because they genuinely like the thing itself, but because others like it. By acquiring it and appreciating others' unfulfilled desires, they satisfy their own possessiveness and derive a sense of triumphant joy and satisfaction. Conversely, if something looks magnificent or sounds expensive, but no one else likes it, they'll discard it like trash.

Logically speaking, Empress Yang Xianrong was probably the most secure empress in the hundreds of years of the Han and Wei dynasties. Since the Prince of Zhao usurped the throne, she was the only woman left by the emperor's side, and after the restoration, Sima Jiong did not add any more concubines for the emperor. This meant that in the vast harem, Empress Yang Xianrong was the only true concubine in name only, and she did not need to worry about gaining or losing favor.

But the more this happened, the more frustrated and resentful she became. She had always thought she should be the most adored woman, and since she became aware of the world, she had secretly learned countless skills in palace intrigue and power struggles, but now they were all useless. This made her feel a great sense of humiliation, and she wanted to hide somewhere and cry her heart out.

As a woman herself, Liu He naturally understood the Empress's feelings. To be honest, she also felt sorry for the Empress, because what the Empress said was true; there were indeed very few in the palace willing to serve the current Emperor, and she herself was unwilling.

However, beneath the Empress's gentle and elegant exterior, she often revealed a fiery and strong-willed nature, and at any moment, she would utter some arrogant and presumptuous remarks. This was true just now, and it is true now as well.

She gazed out the window, her eyes suddenly hardening as she asked, "Ah He, do you envy Jia Nanfeng?"

Liu He was startled, glancing around in alarm. After all, no one had mentioned that name in a long time. In Luoyang at that time, Jia Nanfeng was only known as the Demon Empress, practically an unspeakable monster. Mentioning her seemed to invite fear and curses from people, perhaps even fearing her ghost. Seeing nothing amiss, Liu He breathed a sigh of relief and then said to the Empress:

"Your Highness, why did you bring her up?"

"I just envy her. She was the true empress. Although everyone openly cursed her, who didn't envy her in secret? Zhang Hua and his ministers bowed down to her, and the princes of Qi were all trembling in fear back then. She could even choose male concubines to serve her at will, just like an emperor. Even now that she's dead, and countless people curse her, how happy she was during the ten years she was in power! Even in death, I think it was worth it."

She spoke very naturally, but Liu He didn't dare to breathe and could only remain silent.

Who could have imagined that beneath the seemingly virtuous beauty of this young woman lay such a restless heart? While her resentment towards the emperor might be somewhat understandable, the empress's covetousness for power was something no ordinary person could possess. Perhaps the loneliness within the deep palace had already distorted her emotions.

Yang Xianrong took a handful of snow from the windowsill. The icy snow reminded her of someone. Although that person had a warm smile, his temperament was like the snow—seemingly noble and aloof. Whether it was high-ranking officials or royal relatives, everyone subconsciously gave him a wide berth when seated with him. Thinking of his illustrious achievements, Xianrong couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. Therefore, from the very first moment she saw him, the young empress couldn't help but feel an impulse—of all these people, only he should belong to her, and he should bear her imprint.

Unfortunately, although she had taken a liking to this man, she didn't have many opportunities to meet him. Over the course of that year, she tried to find a replacement among the other men in the court and among the common people, but the results disappointed her—there were many excellent men, but none of them aroused her similar feelings.

Thinking this, the Queen turned her gaze back to the lights of the night, trying her best to recall the other person's face, but unfortunately, too much time had passed and her memory had become somewhat blurred.

She didn't know how much time had passed when a sudden commotion interrupted her meditation. She looked up. Standing in the corridor of the Taiji Palace, she could vaguely see the activity at the Sima Gate. She saw flickering lights and what sounded like a crowd making noise, but through the vast snowstorm, she couldn't see clearly or hear anything distinct.

But in an instant, the Empress sensed something unusual. She immediately cast aside her sorrow, wrapped her fox fur coat tighter around herself, and said to Liu He beside her, "Ahe, go and see what happened at the front gate?"

But everything happened extremely quickly. Before Liu He could even step out of the corridor, Yang Xianrong called her back. She saw a fiery dragon suddenly enter the palace passage. They were menacing, and suddenly split into two paths in front of the Changhe Gate. One path turned eastward, while the other went straight towards the Taiji Hall where she was.

Who are they? What are they up to? Although Yang Xianrong didn't understand, this wasn't the first time she'd experienced something like this. Based on past developments, she quickly realized it was very likely a coup.

Since it was a coup, there was no way to avoid it. This made Yang Xianrong quickly calm down. She returned to her palace, woke up the bewildered emperor, and then ordered Liu He and a group of palace maids to help the two of them change clothes and comb their hair.

No matter how unworthy she was as empress, since the emperor was unable to govern, she was the only one who could exercise imperial power on his behalf. This was her source of pride; no matter what difficulties she was about to face, Yang Xianrong would never show any sign of weakness.

As the palace maids were getting their hair done and their hair styled, the sounds of fierce fighting and shouts of battle erupted outside the palace. The noise made them tremble with fear, their fingers shaking as they combed their hair. The emperor, however, seemed bewildered. Still half-asleep as his clothes were being changed, he finally managed to ask, "What? Someone's already here seeking an official position so early?"

Listening to the sounds of fighting outside the palace, Yang Xianrong had already figured things out.

To enter the Taiji Hall, one must pass through the Secretariat and the Imperial Library. Sima Jiong, of course, wouldn't leave such an important place unattended, and specifically arranged for Liu Zhen, the Duke of Anxiang, to guard it. Now that the person who came is fighting with Liu Zhen, the Duke of Anxiang, they certainly can't be from the Qi King's faction. And looking at Luoyang now, the only ones qualified to fight the Qi King are the Changsha King's faction.

Thinking of this, she felt reassured: if it was the Prince of Qi who staged a coup, her father might have sided with the Prince of Changsha, which might have implicated her. But since it was the Prince of Changsha who staged the coup, she should still be respected and able to remain firmly in her position as Empress.

Just as he was pondering this, the commotion outside the hall abruptly ceased, as if someone had suddenly choked him, and silence once again enveloped the hall. All of this happened extremely quickly, in less than a quarter of an hour.

It sounds like the first wave of conflict is over, but who really won?
As the corridor echoed with a tidal wave of footsteps, the answer was quickly revealed. More than ten people appeared like ghosts at the palace gate. Without a word, they pushed the door open and entered. Almost instantly, the cloying, pungent smell of blood spread into the room with the cold wind, causing the palace maids to scream.

Yang Xianrong was also startled. She looked closely and saw that the dozen or so people stood in front of the palace gate like iron towers. Their armor was covered with blood that had not yet congealed. The leader was holding a head in his hand. In the dim light, blood dripped from the severed part of the head, and the eyes were still wide open, as if they had seen something unbelievable.

The empress recognized the name of the head as Liu Zhen, the Duke of Anxiang.

Liu Xian threw Liu Zhen's head on the ground, letting it roll twice, then removed the iron helmet from his head, revealing his face. He knelt down and bowed, saying, "Liu Xian, Commandant of the Capital Region, is here by order of the General of the Cavalry to report to Your Majesty."

Before anyone could answer, he pulled a memorial from his robes and read aloud: "Since assuming the regency, the Prince of Qi has relied on his merits and acted recklessly and illegally. He has no heart for a prime minister and no loyalty to his subjects. He has allowed his slanderous and wicked deeds to spread, alienating his own family and causing resentment throughout the land and anger across the nation. Last night, I received a secret report that the Prince of Qi, following false accusations, intends to kill Changsha at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, seize Your Majesty in the Southern Palace, and use the names of Yi Yin and Huo Qubing to carry out the actions of Cao Cao and Wang Mang. How can loyal ministers and filial sons tolerate this? I have come to plead for your life to rid the country of this traitor and restore the nation!"

After reading the article aloud, Liu Xian raised his head to see the emperor. His fat and pale face was completely stunned, as if he were puzzled or at a loss. After a while, he asked, "What exactly is the meaning of this article? Liu Qing, you might as well explain it more clearly."

Liu Xian said, "The King of Qi is plotting a rebellion. I have come to protect Your Majesty's safety."

After saying this, he handed the memorial to a palace maid beside him, and then turned to Yang Xianrong and said, "Your Highness, the situation is extremely urgent. There is about to be a bloody battle in the palace. There is no time to hesitate. Please affix your seal immediately. After that, come with me out of the palace."

Liu Xian also understood that in the current palace, the one who could truly make decisions was nominally the emperor, but in reality, it was this young empress.

Yang Xianrong took the memorial, couldn't help but glance at Liu Xian a couple more times, and asked, "May I ask, Minister Liu, where are you taking us?"

Liu Xian said, "Go to Yunlong Gate and meet up with General Piaoji."

Just then, another commotion arose outside the palace, seemingly even louder than before. The palace maids looked out the window, then covered their mouths and exclaimed in alarm, "Your Highness! The West Palace... the West Palace... it's on fire!"

Yang Xianrong looked back and saw that a raging fire had broken out on the west side of the palace. The flames soared into the sky, almost turning half the sky red. Even the swirling snow could not block out the thick, acrid smell of gunpowder in the distance. One could only imagine how terrifying the fire in the western palace must have been!

Yang Xianrong looked back at Liu Xian and saw that his expression remained unchanged, so he knew that it was his arrangement. He couldn't help but ask sternly, "Was this also done by the King of Changsha?"

Liu Xian calmly replied, "In order to stop the Prince of Qi from leading his army in rebellion, we had no choice but to set fire to the Qianqiu Gate and Shenwu Gate of the West Palace."

As they were talking, an armored soldier ran in from the corridor outside the hall. Ignoring the emperor and empress present, he whispered directly to Liu Xian. Liu Xian's expression immediately turned solemn. He said to the man, "Understood." Then he stood up and said to the empress and the others, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, there are rebels about to enter the palace. I will go and kill them. Please wait here for a moment. After we have killed them, Your Majesty, please leave the palace with us immediately."

Having said this, he put his helmet back on and led his entourage out of the hall. For some unknown reason, all the lights in the corridors went out at once, and in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, it seemed only the distant beacon fires of the Western Palace were burning fiercely, making half of Luoyang Palace shine and the other half dim. (End of Chapter)